Method of restoring moisture and adding acid to reactivated clay



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W. S. BAYLIS METHOD 0F BESTURING MOISTURE AND ADDING ACID T0 REACTIVTEDCLAY Septe 159 lh Filed Jan. 5. 1928 Patented sept. 15, 1931 UNITEDSTATES .PATENT OFFICE WALTER S. BAYLIS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,ASSIGNOB, .'BY HESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T FILTROL COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA,

CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A

METHOD 0F BESTOBING yZIYIIOISEIT'UIBE AND ADDING- ACID TO BEACTIVATEDCLAY Application led January 3, 1 928. Serial No. 944,348.

This invention relates to the preparation of chemically activated clayfor treatment of certain materials, and it relates particularly to amethod whereby used activated clay may 5 be reactivated and prepared forreuse.

Activated .clay is made from a raw earth by a process which involveschemical treatment to remove the impurities. The kchemical reacts withthe clay or the impurities carried lo thereby, and Iafter the clay hasbeen washed a chemically inert activated clay is procured.

In the treatment of certain materials such as lubricating oils, it isfound that better results are obtained when free acid is mixed with thel5 chemically inert activated clay'. When the activated clay isreactivated, the impurities f collected therein and the acid, a portionof which has been spent, are burned out. Consequently whenl thereactivated clay is again i0 used on these substances, the treatment isnot as good as before.

One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide amethod of reacti-- vating and adding additional free acid to a :5 spentactivated clay.

It is found that when treating certain classes of materials which arerefined by clay at high temperature, for example lubricating l stocks,the freeing of the impurities is assist- `0 ed by moisture in theactivated clay, this mois- .ture assisting in vaporization. When a spentclay has been reactivated, it is comparatively dry and because of itsdryness is not as satisfactory for treating the class of materials now 5being considered.

It is accordingly one of the objects of thev invention to provideamethod of reactivating and adding moisture to an activated clay.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of reactivatingand adding free acid and moisture to a reactivated clay.

.Other objects and advantages of the inventionmay be made evidenthereinafter.

It is well known that either a natural clay or an activated clay losesits properties of decolorizing,lor otherwise suitably actingon certainmaterials, with continued use. -Processes ofA roasting this spent clayto reactivate it have been devised.- Certain clays, l however, are mixedwith water, and insome cases acid, in order to give them certainvaluable properties. In reactivating such clays, this'molsture, to etherwith the acid and impurities gather-e by the continued use of the clay,are removed. I have discovered a process by which it is possible toagain add moisture and acid to the clay after it has been roasted in areactivating furnace.

My invention mayconveniently be carried out by the use of apparatus suchasis illustrated in the drawing. Referring to this d1a vvinf ,.thenumeral 10 represents a reactivating'urnace. This furnace may be of anytype sultable for the reactivation of natural or activated clays sooften used in the art as decolorizing agents, or for other purposes suchas the treatment of oils previously mentioned. In the event that thereactivated' clay forms lnto lumps in the furnace 10, it is necessary topulverize this clay. This is accomplished by a pulverizer 12 fed by ahopper 14. Such a pulverizer is, of course, unnecessary if thereactivated clay coming from the furnace is already finely divided.

From the -pulverizer 12, the reactivated clay drops into a hopper 16which guides it into a throat 18 of a suitable separator 20.

'Directed across this throat is a stream of air supplied by a blower 22connected to the throat 18 by a pipe 24. Directly opposite the pipe 24,and also communicating with 4the throat 18, is a discharge pipe 26 whichis adapted to receive the stream of air from the pipe 24. This aircarries the finer partlcles of the reactivated clay into the dischargepipe 26, the .heavier particles bein heavy enough to drop through thestream o air directed across the throat 18 from the pipe 24. A Theseheavier particles drop through a pipe 28 into a suitable storage 30.Thus the lighter particles follow a path indicated by an arrow 32, whilethe heavier particles follow a path indicated by an arrow '34. Theseparator 2O may be of any conventional de- 95 sign, so long as itseparates the heavier particles and the lighter particles, and conveysthese lighter particles through the Idischarge pipe 26.

Communicating with the interior of the 100 c will readily combine withthe activated claydischarge pipe is a pipe 38 which is adapted to carryeither steam from a boiler 40 or a suitable acid from an acid storage 42or a mixture of the two. The amount ofsteam 'and acid supplied to thedischarge pipe 26 through'the pipe'38 is controlled by valves 46 and 44.I have found that substances such as steam, acid, or a mixture of steamland acid,

being conveyed through the` discharge pipe 26 by means of the air fromthe blower 22 if this steam or acid is suitably injected into theair-stream. carrying the particles. It is, however, within the scopeofmy vinvention t0 introduce the steam and acid into the discharge pipe 26by any suitable means such as a high velocity nozzle, an agitator, etc.,as long as a very thorough mixture of the c lay with the steam and acidtakes place.

The reactivated clay after coming into intimate contact with the steam,acid, or a mixture of the two, is in a condition for use in suchprocesses. as treating lubricating or other oils, etc., and isconductedby the discharge pipe 26 into a suitable storage 50. Aspreviously brought out, the clay as it comes ,v from the furnace l0isdry and the acid which may have'been previously therein has burned,making the reactivated clay unfit for certain uses. By miXin a newsupply of moisture and acid with t e reactivated clay in the mannerdisclosed, this clay is in a condition equal in effectiveness to theoriginal condition of the acid-treated clay. Such a reactivation, ofcourse, effects numerous economies in permitting the 'continued use ofthe same clay. u

My method is 'not limited to the mixin of acid and steam with thereactivated clay,gbut may find equally important vapplications inintroducing. any other substance into this clay.

I claim as my invention: I

1. A method .of adding activating fluids to a reactivated clay,comprising: separating the smaller particles from the larger particlesof said reactivated clay; and introducing said activating fluids into anair stream carrying said smaller particles.

2. A method of adding activating fluids to a reactivated clay,comprising: introducing said activating fluids `into an air streamcarrymg particles of said reactivated clay.

k3. A method of adding activating fluids to a reactivated clay,comprising: pulverizing said activated clay; carrying said pulverizedclay 1n an air stream; and introducing said actlv'ating luidsinto saidair stream.

4. A method of adding acid to ali-activated clay, comprising:pulverizing said activated clay; mixing said acidl with steam ;1 yintro-'ducmg said mixture into a stream of air carr'ymg particles Aof saidactivatedV clay ,q allowv 1ng the steam to condense; and then separat--ing the clay and asubstantial -part of the moisture from the air.

5. A method of reactivating clay, compris- Y tively adsorbent from therelatively nonadsorbent particles of clay and introducin acid into anair stream carrying the relative y adsorbent particles.

7. A method of treating reactivated clay,

comprising: the steps o f pulverizing said reactivated clay intoparticles, separating-the smaller particles from the larger partlcles ofsaid reactivated clay lby an air blast and inl troducing activatingiuidinto the air blast carrying the thus separated smaller particles.

8. A method of adding acid to activated clay, comprising: injecting acidand steam into a stream of air carrying particles of said activatedclay. n

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at New York, NewlYork, this 16 day of December, .1927. c

WALTER S. BAYLIS.

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